Everything Is Ready Now

May 7, 2023 · Luke

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Series · Luke · Week 17 of 34

Scripture referenced 7 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Luke 13 healing of the woman who was doubled over on the Sabbath, referenced as prior preaching

1 Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2 Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
6 He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.
7 He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’
8 He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it.
9 If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”
10 He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.
11 Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”
13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God.
14 The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”
15 Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?
16 Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18 He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?
19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”
20 Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom?
21 It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
22 He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem.
23 One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,
24 “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.
25 When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27 He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside.
29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.
30 Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
31 On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”
32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.
33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.’
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!
35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

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Luke 13:21

noted as the stopping point before a skipped section

21 It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

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Luke 13:22-35

the section the preacher admitted skipping, then read portions of it covering the narrow door and lament over Jerusalem

22 He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem.

23 One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,

24 “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.

25 When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

27 He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’

28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside.

29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.

30 Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”

31 On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”

32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.

33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.’

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!

35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

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Luke 14:1

stated as the main text for the day

1 When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him.

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John 9

healing of the man born blind on the Sabbath, preached the prior week

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.

2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.

4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.

5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,

7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?”

9 Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” He said, “I am he.”

10 They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11 He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

12 Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.

14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”

16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.

17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,

19 and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20 His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

21 but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.”

22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”

24 So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”

25 He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

26 They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”

28 They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.

31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.

32 Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.

33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36 He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”

37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”

38 He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”

41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

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Luke 9:51

Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem

51 It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem,

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1 Peter 5

quoted in connection with humbling oneself under the mighty hand of God so he may exalt in due time

1 Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed.

2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;

3 neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

4 When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.

5 Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;

7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.

8 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9 Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.

10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

11 To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark, my son.

14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Pastor Mark picked up the thread of several weeks of Sabbath-healing stories by walking through Luke 14, where Jesus attends a Pharisee leader's dinner and heals a man suffering from edema. The meal becomes the setting for three distinct lessons about pride, generosity, and who actually ends up at God's table. The sermon closed with communion, which Pastor Mark tied directly to the open-invitation theme of the passage.

What was said

Before getting to Luke 14, Pastor Mark acknowledged he had skipped Luke 13:22-35 and read through it briefly rather than leave it out entirely. In that section Jesus warns that the door to salvation is narrow and closing, rebukes those who assume familiarity with him will be enough, and laments over Jerusalem with the image of a hen trying to gather her chicks. Pastor Mark noted that even delivering that warning seemed hard for Jesus, and said he would return to preach it properly another time.

The Luke 14 scene opens with Jesus accepting a dinner invitation from a leader of the Pharisees, knowing full well they are watching for a way to trap him. A man with edema is present, and Jesus puts the question directly to the lawyers and Pharisees: is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? They go silent. He heals the man and then presses them further, asking which of them would leave a son or an ox in a well just because it was the Sabbath. They have no answer for that either.

The first lesson comes from watching the guests jockey for the best seats. Jesus tells them plainly: take the lowest place, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted. Pastor Mark pointed to 1 Peter 5 as one of several places in the New Testament where this same principle appears, and suggested Peter wrote it from personal experience, having vaunted himself and fallen hard.

The second lesson is directed at the host himself. Jesus tells him that inviting friends, relatives, and wealthy neighbors who can return the favor is simply how the world works, a quid pro quo that pays for itself. The better invitation goes to people who cannot repay: the poor, the disabled, those who are limping, those who are blind. Pastor Mark said the repayment will come at the resurrection of the righteous, and that God does not miss anything done in his name.

One of the other guests responds to all this with what Pastor Mark described as a kind of nervous filler: "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God." That remark sets up the third and longest lesson, the parable of the great banquet. A man prepares a large dinner and sends his servant to call the invited guests when the time comes. Every one of them makes an excuse, a field to inspect, oxen to try out, a new wife. The servant reports back that nobody is coming.

Pastor Mark spent some time on the cultural dimension of that moment, describing occasions in Mexico where an event announced for seven in the evening had no one present until well past midnight and nobody but him thought anything was wrong. His point was that the timing in the parable is the issue: the dinner hour had actually come, just as Jesus had actually arrived as Messiah and was doing everything that had been promised. The most familiar with the invitation were the ones who passed on it.

The master's response is to send the servant out twice more, first into the streets of the city to bring in the poor and the disabled and the blind and the limping, and then out into the highways and the hedges to press anyone at all to come in so the house will be full. Those who made excuses will not taste the dinner. Pastor Mark called this both exciting and sad at the same time: exciting because the invitation is genuinely open to everyone who will come, sad because those most prepared to recognize it are the ones who turn away. He connected that directly to the communion table, saying that anyone who has ever come to Christ had to come humbly, recognizing their own poverty and blindness.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

The pastor pointed out that Jesus accepted the Pharisee leader's dinner invitation even knowing he was being watched closely and that the host was hostile toward him. What does that willingness tell you about how Jesus engaged with people who opposed him, and what might it mean for how we engage with people who are skeptical of us?
When Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, they kept silent rather than answer. Why do you think they stayed quiet, and have you ever found yourself in a similar position where you knew the right answer but were unwilling to say it out loud?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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Speaker 1Good morning, everybody. How are you? Doing alright? Good. Would you stand with me?

We're going to sing At Calvary, hymn number four ninety two if you want to. The the hymn books are up front these days. If you want to grab one to see the notes, you can. We're going to just sing off the wall otherwise. But at Calvary, I'm glad to be here, and I'm glad you all are here.

So here we go.

Speaker 2Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my lord was crucified, knowing not it was for me, he died on Calvary. Pardon there was multiplied to meet there my burdens sold by liberty Now I've given Jesus everything. Now I gladly own him as my king. Now my raptured soul can oath of Calvary. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did spend at Calvary.

Mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdens so found liberty.

Speaker 1Love the oh the mighty gulf that God did span. When Jesus is speaking and says, there's a great chasm fixed. Right? Isn't that something? And he fixed that.

He got us over that chasm. That's amazing. Announcements are not yet, I think. We do sing two, don't we? Or did we already sing two?

Okay. Goodness gracious, it's been a morning already. How about we will sing of our Redeemer? Oh no, Satisfied. Where are we singing?

I will sing of my Redeemer. Hold on a second. Let's get through here. Find our way to there you have already had your announcements. Here he comes.

I will sing of my redeemer. There we go.

Speaker 2I will sing of my redeemer and his wondrous love to me on the cruel cross he suffered from the curse to set us free sing or sing of my redeemer with his blood he purchased me I will tell the wondrous story how my lost estate to save in his boundless love and mercy I will sing of my redeemer and his heavenly love for me. He from death to life hath brought me son of God with him to be sing or sing of my redeemer with his blood he purchased me on the calls he sealed my pardon paid the debt and

Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I missed Scott this morning. I missed him so much I started yelling. I have been in the choir at the little church I grew up in since before my voice changed.

And so sometimes I start on a song and I start singing tenor and I think I can't do this all the way through this song. That one I didn't even realize it when I started. Goodness gracious. Okay. The announcements are back from there, Blake.

And it is time. Well, there are a few. Monday nights is happening this week, and Carl is in Mark 10, the healing of blind beggar Bartimaeus. And so that's Mark 10 this week, meal music and a message. The meal's gonna be Domino's Pizza.

Good old Domino's Reliable Pizza is gonna be here, and then Carl is doing the message and leading the music. So that'll be Monday nights at first b on the same time that Monday, Monday, Monday. 05/08/2023, one night only, Iwana Grand Prix, as you see up here. We will have the Grand Prix course set up and the Pinewood Derby cars that the kids have been making for the past two or three weeks. They have had their heads filled with scripture, and it's trickling down into their hearts.

And then tomorrow night is gonna be a fun celebration at the end of Awana. It's the last Awana until September. So Monday, Monday, Monday, 05/08/2023, this is the place to be right here, one night only. Okay? That's it.

Tomorrow. And the other announcement, it keeps going. Jackson Hole Men's Alliance is the first Wednesday of the month at 06:30AM. That was last month last week, I'm sorry. For this month, it was last week, and Carl did his testimony.

We're having somebody do a testimony each time around, and it was, from what I understand, a really good one. Fellowship that the ladies have been having on Thursday nights will resume in three weeks, but right now, it has been replaced by the Christian Life and Witness Course. This is not just for ladies. It's not just for the ladies who are in that study. It's for the whole church.

And the only thing lacking at this week's training was more people, really. It was really, really good. Jermaine, the guy who's leading, is a great leader, and it was fantastic. So from seven to nine for the next two weeks, he said he would recap last week's. So if you want to come this week, won't have lost everything.

You'll still know. He'll cover what he covered last week in a brief recap and then go from there. So seven to nine right here. This is all in anticipation of a big event that Will Graham is coming. Billy Graham's grandson is coming to Idaho Falls in September.

All of the churches in the area that are participating, they're trying to unify the churches around the gospel message in anticipation of this event and just to strengthen the churches anyway. My Sister's Closet has been changed from May 20 to June 3. Okay? It has been changed from May 20 to June 3. So put that on your calendars or change it in your calendars.

May 20 was a scheduling conflict for several folks. And the women's clothing exchange, new and gently used items, if you have any questions about it, call KC McCooey. June 3 is the new date. And I think that's it. Do you all have any other burning announcements that I have forgotten about?

I don't see any, but I do want to mention Maria Johnston's grandson, Berkeley, and his wife, Grace, and their son Berkeley, and daughter Lily, and their three year old, almost three year old daughter Robin, all joined the church this morning. They came in and so they're official now. They've been serving here for some time, but they were out of the state for a while. They're just back from California, and they are official members now. So if you see them, greet them, extend that right hand of fellowship.

And would you stand with me, and we will sing Lamb of God. Watch the last verse on this when it goes from my Jesus Christ, the lamb of God to till I am just a lamb of God. It's a pretty good progression.

Speaker 2Your only son, no sin to hide, but you have sent him from your side to walk upon this guilty son and to become the lamb of God. Oh, lamb of God, sweet lamb of God. I love the holy lamb of God. His precious blood, my Jesus Christ, of God. Your gift of love, they crucified.

They laughed and scorned him as he died. The humble king they named a fraud and sacrificed the lamb of God. I was so lost I should have died, but you have brought me to your side to be led by your staff and

Speaker 1Amen. Hymn number five thirty three is there is a savior. It's a chorus basically. We'll sing through it twice. What a powerful.

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. This is the time. It's a operatory time. We call it the worship through giving.

Worship through giving. Not the worship of giving. That always struck me funny. We don't worship the giving. Yeah.

But we do worship through giving of our hearts, of our minds, our intellect, our time, our conversations, our resources. God, would you bless those things? Anything, Lord, that we recognize that you have given us, we recognize it belongs to you. We're stewards of it for a time. Lord, would you show us how you want us to spend our time, how you want us to spend our efforts, how you want us to spend our money.

Would you show us, Lord, how you want for your gospel to advance? We're asking for you to do it in your way through your humble and obedient servants. Would you show us your will and your way? Allow us the spirit and the power to be a part of the gospel's advance. In Jesus' name, amen.

To their able we're going confession to make. And Luke fourteen one. So, Luke fourteen one is where we're gonna that's what the text for today. Last week, we're in John nine where Jesus healed a man born blind. He did it on the Sabbath.

The week before that, we're in Luke 13 where Jesus healed the lady who was doubled over like this and could not stand up at all. And the week before that, it seems like we were on another Sabbath. There was there are a lot of Sabbaths here in a row where Jesus is healing people. When we were three weeks ago looking at the lady who was doubled over, or two weeks ago looking at the lady who was doubled over, we looked back and saw another one where a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath. Jesus' disciples had broken the tradition of the Pharisees, but not the commandment of God.

And he was pointing that out, and he's been pointing it out over and over and over again. We get to Luke 14, and we're gonna have another Sabbath story, and it is of another healing. We'll get to that in a minute. And the healing always gives an opportunity for a lesson. Know?

This one's specific to that, but I missed something. I I left off in Luke thirteen twenty one, and I left off Luke thirteen twenty two to 35. And that's between what I preached two weeks ago. I preached from John last week, John nine. And then I just missed it.

I forgot it. I wanna read a little bit of that. I'll come back and preach this at some other time. I don't wanna skip anything. I haven't skipped anything since I've been here.

Eleven years. Y'all been like, when will he make an end of it? Good gracious. Michelangelo took less time to do the cysteine sealant. He has a lesson for them.

He's passing through one city and village after another. He was teaching, proceeding on his way to Jerusalem. And Luke, he's always from 951, he sets his face like flint. He's headed towards Jerusalem. And it's constantly mentioned he's headed towards Jerusalem.

He's headed towards Jerusalem. He knows what's gonna happen there. Someone said to him, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? How many are gonna get in? And he says to them, strive to enter through the narrow door.

For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and just won't be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin standing outside knocking on the door saying, Lord, open up to us. And he'll say, I don't I don't know where you're from. I don't know about you. You had a chance to enter, but you just didn't come in.

So it's a narrow and closing door. That's what he's talking about. Now who he's talking about is the religious folks of the time usually. Pharisees who are supposed to know about that door. They're supposed to know that it's there.

They're supposed to be able to see that, wow, we've got all the information we need to recognize Messiah. Let's just recognize him. Right? So I'll skip a little bit. I'll come back to this at some later date, but there's after that when he's saying, it's gonna be when it's gonna be too late.

Eventually, it's gonna be too late. And and that's hard. That's hard even for Jesus to report it to them. It's gonna be too late. It's a hard message.

At the very time some of the pharisees approached him saying to him, go away and leave this place. We don't want you around here. Actually, they didn't say we don't want you around here. They said go away go away and leave this place because Herod wants to kill you. Now what have we heard about the Pharisees and the Sadducees and everybody?

They wanna kill him, but they're putting it on somebody else. Get out of here because Herod wants to kill you. And he said to him, you go tell that fox. Behold, I'm casting out demons and I'm performing healings today and tomorrow. And on the third day, I reach my goal.

Nevertheless, I must go on my journey today and tomorrow and the next day, for it cannot be that a prophet would perish. It's Jerusalem. That's where we're headed, outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her. How often I wanted just to gather you and your children together just as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling.

Behold, your house is left desolate, and I say to you, you will not see me until you say, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Now we know because we just went through Easter that that's kind of a forecast of the triumphal entry. But even then, it was a fickle crowd. Right? Let's get to this.

That was what I skipped. I'll come back to it. But this, I feel like fits the theme of the last three or four weeks. Now it happened that when he went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees so this is not at the synagogue. The past two or three times we've seen him.

In fact, the last time we saw him in Luke in chapter 13, that's the last time we hear Jesus in a synagogue in Luke. We hear him preaching the first sermon that we have recorded in Luke four, and then Luke 13, that's the last of the synagogue, and there's still a lot of Luke left. It happened that when he went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, that sounds like a big good party, doesn't it? Let's go hang out with a pharisee on the Sabbath and let them watch us closely. That's what it says though.

It says he went to the leader of the pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread. He's invited over for lunch, and they were watching him closely. We know from other places why they're watching him closely. They want to trip him up in something that he says. And there in front of him, in front of Jesus, there was a man who was suffering from edema.

Your version may say dropsy. They're the same thing. It's the same malady. Edema is a swelling of something. It doesn't say where he had this dropsy, but if you have swollen calves or swollen legs, that's edema.

It's where the water or fluid gathers in between the muscle and the skin, and it's just a terribly uncomfortable, painful type position. From last week, John nine, where it says the disciples asked Jesus, who sinned? This guy or his parents? Now, this is in the house of one of the leaders of the pharisees, and there's a guy who's suffering from something. Must be sin.

We know it's sin. Gotta be sin. Right? But right there in front of Jesus, there's a man who's suffering from edema, and Jesus responded to that stimulus. He was always looking for a teachable moment.

And when he saw a man who's suffering, he said to the lawyers and the Pharisees, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? He's been doing it. Week after week, he's been doing it, and it's frustrated them. And they've called him out. And actually, the interesting one to me was when he had that lady stand up and she glorified God.

He said that the synagogue leader, indignant, looked at the crowd and said, you people know better. Don't be coming in here on the Sabbath to get healed. He didn't rebuke Jesus. He rebuked his own people. Jesus responded and said to the lawyer, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?

And they kept silent. Chickens? Just chickens. They know their theology. They know what they think.

Actually actually, there were some minority positions on this that, yeah, it's okay. It's okay. But most of the pharisees would say, well, never. There's tomorrow and there's yesterday, but not today. The Sabbath is to be kept holy.

They kept silent, and he took hold of the guy who had edema and healed him and sent him away. Amen. That's good. He did it. They kept silent.

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? We're not in the synagogue. We're not around everybody. You're not gonna tell me what you think. They wouldn't say.

He took hold of me, healed him, and he sent him away. And he said to them, now listen, be real. Which one of y'all, if you had a son or an ox that fell into a well, wouldn't immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day? You're gonna wait till tomorrow? Really?

Don't wait till sundown to get your son out of a well? Your your oxen, your cow, you know? Which one of y'all immediately wouldn't pull him out on the Sabbath day? You know you would. You know you would.

But they still could not offer any reply to this. They wouldn't say, no. I'm not admitting to that. Not here in the leader of the Pharisees house. They could offer no reply to this.

One of my favorite memories of Mexico, actually I love being in Mexico. We were there for almost seven years. When I was doing an orientation on a Sunday, which is we count that as our Sabbath. It was Saturday back then, Friday sundown is Saturday sundown. But I'm up doing an orientation.

Our typical work week in Mexico, Tanya and I are construction foreman and work team host. We get people from the airport Saturday, bring them home. They are so worn out by travel that day, you don't tell them anything. You know, this is where you're gonna sleep. Trust me, flush twice.

Okay. In the bathroom. That's all the information we gave them on Saturday. On Sunday, we would give them an orientation. This is where you are.

This is what we're going to do. These are some of the jobs. Anybody has experience, come see me. Different stuff like that, we do an orientation. During the orientation, after a good lunch on Sunday, after we've been to church in one of the colonias, I'm up doing the orientation, and a kid from across the street comes up and he starts tugging my sleeve.

And he says, Ramon, Ramon, Ramon, help us. I'm like, hold on a second. Hold on a second. To the crowd. What is it you need?

He goes, we had a ox. It fell in the ditch. She's pregnant, and we we don't wanna harm her getting her out. Would you come get her out? And I I thought he said, He said, with the backhoe, you know, the monkey paw, bring that.

And so we've got a rope around her, we've got harness around her and everything. But if you'll come with that piece of equipment, you can get the ox out of the ditch on a Sunday. Isn't that sweet? I'm sure there's a picture of it somewhere, but I couldn't find it. But yeah, of course we're going to do that.

Of course we are. And it took a little bit of work, a lot less work since we had a backhoe. So there's the Sabbath healing, and that's just it's the Sabbath healing. It's the start of a lesson. He asked him, to be honest, which one of you would not do this?

You'd all do it. So after the healing, he starts a lesson. And there are three lessons and they're distinct. There are three different boom boom boom kind of lessons. Lesson number one is this.

It says, he began telling the parable to the invited guests. So he's been invited by the leader of the pharisees and accepted that invitation. I I like that. Jesus knows that this guy's maybe overly hyper holy religious. He's a leader of the most religious sect, and so Jesus accepts that invitation.

Great. He's accused of being a sinner and tax collector because he accepts those invitations too. You know? He began telling the parable to the invited guest when he noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table. So they've been invited to a banquet and when they get there, they're looking around for where do I want to be?

I want to be near the front, near the head table, whatever. And he noticed that teachable moment again. And he says to them, those invited guests, who whenever whenever you're invited by someone to a wedding feast, don't take the place of honor. Don't just immediately go in and run right up and look for the best spot and leave your leave your coat in your pocketbook so that you can have that spot. Right?

Don't don't look for the place of honor. For someone more distinguished than you may have also been invited by him, and the one who invited you both will come to you and say, hey, you mind? This is really for this other more distinguished guest. Give your place to this person and then in disgrace, you will proceed to occupy the last place. But instead of that, but whenever you are invited, you go and you take the last place.

Take a humble position so that when the one who has invited you comes, he will say to you, oh, friend, come and move up. Move up higher. I don't want you to be back there behind the speakers and the curtain. Come on up here and sit with us. And then you will have honor inside of all who are dining at the table with you.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. Isn't this biblical? This is all over. New Testament, Old Testament, all over the place. Everyone who exalts himself or vaunts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

First Peter five. Oh, humble yourselves on the mighty hand of God. Think about that. Peter wrote that. Why did Peter write that?

Because he vaunted himself. He also wrote be careful lest ye fall. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that he may exalt you in due time. After you have suffered for a little while, he himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. That's good stuff.

If I were to say lesson one, the summary of it, it's just verse 11 there. It's for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. The one who humbles himself will be exalted. It's from a psalm. It's picked up three times in the New Testament twice by Paul once by Paul, once by James, and once by Peter that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.

Everyone who exalts himself, that's pride, will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted, lifted up by God at the proper time. So that's for the invited guests. Next one is lesson number two, and it is for the one who had invited him. So it's a perfect Luke Luke spends a lot of time talking about meals and dining and table fellowship, and he does that in Luke and he does it again in Acts. But he also went on to say to the one who had invited him, leader of the Pharisees.

He says, now whenever you give a luncheon or a dinner, don't just invite your friends and your brothers and your relatives and your wealthy neighbors. Now Jesus may not have been. I mean, that's a leader of the Pharisees and Jesus is a polemic figure to say the least. Right? He's he's famous, not rich, not wealthy, but and not really a relative or a brother, but he was the guy everybody was trying to get to come to their place.

Right? Whenever you give a luncheon or dinner, don't invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor your wealthy neighbors. Otherwise, they may also invite you to a meal in return and that will be your repayment. He said, everybody does that. That's a normal thing, human experience.

That is the way of the world. It's a quid pro quo. You wash my and I wash yours. You know, that kind of thing. That's the way it is.

You otherwise, they may also invite you to a meal in return, and that will be your repayment. But whenever you give a banquet, he's saying, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind. If you take the theology of the time and our time really, and you think, oh, they're suffering. Must have been something they did. They're not living right.

Don't do that. He's saying extend the offer further than that. Always be ready invite people in that don't feel safe anywhere else. Invite in the poor, those with disabilities, those who are limping, people who are blind, and and you will be blessed since they do not have the means to repay you. Now, as far as the world goes, this is not a great strategy, is it?

You will be blessed since they don't have the means to repay you, but he goes on from there and says, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. God is keeping an account and nothing you do for the Lord is ever in vain. You will be repaid. So if I had to say, what is the main point of lesson number two, it would be this. You will be repaid.

I love the Spanish on this. It's something I learned because people say it a lot in Mexico. God will repay. It's a future looking tense. You will be repaid.

When you it's funny because when you do something nice for somebody down there and they can't do anything about it, you get the ox out of the ditch. As a as a bye bye greeting, they say, You know? Amen. He will. He will.

He doesn't miss anything. In between the second lesson and the third lesson, we've got this. And this one, I I have maybe it's a sanctified imagination, but this is now when one of those who were reclining at the table with him heard this, and he's an invited guest. He's already had his lesson, and he got invited by this guy, and he said, don't invite the people you invited. I'm one of them.

And he reads he he sees this and he goes, now when one of those who were reclining at the table with him right next to him heard this, he said to him, well, blessed is everyone who'll eat in the kingdom of God. Blessed is everyone who'll eat bread in the kingdom of God. He's just it to me, it seems like a almost nervous gesture of, well, it'll work out. Yeah. It's here here here.

You know? Blessed is everyone who'll eat in the bread in the kingdom of God is good, but it sets up lesson number three. Lesson number three starts like this, but yes. That is true. Blessed is everyone who will eat in the kingdom of God, but he gives another parable.

It's not gonna be the people you're thinking. It's not gonna be the the religious necessarily. It's not gonna be the wealthy necessarily. It's gonna be a bigger crowd than you think or a different crowd than you think. But he said to him, a man was given a big dinner and he invited many.

The invitation was for a lot of people, and at the dinner hour, he sent his slave. In in Luke so there are some similar stories. I don't think it's the same as the story in Matthew, I'd be preaching on the same Sunday. His slave, he sent out to tell those who have been invited, come because everything is ready now. In Matthew, it says he sent his slaves out multiples.

I think that in Luke, he's saying he's equating the slave to being Jesus. He is the one who was sent out. In Matthew, I think he's saying, we're being sent out. Right? Or they were being sent out as apostles.

At the at the dinner hour, he sent a slave to tell those who had been invited, come because everything's ready now. Now, I don't know how much time you spent. We everywhere I've ever lived in my whole life, we've called it Shiloh time. We've called it Mexico time. We call it Jackson time.

Everywhere thinks they're the slowest. Okay? Everywhere thinks that. People still usually show up for work on time, but they'll drag getting to an occasion or drag getting into. In Mexico and in Kenya and multiple other places, Morocco, South Africa was not quite the same.

Nepal, definitely the same. There's a different idea of time. And you know you've been invited to something, and you know it says when it's supposed to start. And when you get there at that time, there will be nobody there. I have been before to a graduation that I had an invitation that was written down and put in my hand by someone.

It starts at 07:00. I told somebody that I would pick up the grandparents from this colonia and the mud, I'd bring the grandparents. And about five till seven, I thought, oh, I'm gonna be late for that thing. Forgot about the grandparents entirely. I get to the school, and it's 07:00 and nobody's there.

Not anybody. There's not a taco truck setting up outside. There's no sound system. There's no paperwork. There's no nothing.

It was not even close. And then I got there and I thought about the grandparents. I thought, oh, yeah. Was supposed to pick up the grandparents. I went and got them.

I came back. It took them a while to get ready. We get back. It's about 08:00. Still, nobody there.

Is the is this the right school? I said, this is the right school. 09:00, somebody gets there and brings the sound equipment. 10:00, they're setting up for the food, putting on the tablecloths around eleven. It's supposed to start at seven.

At midnight, they're handing out diplomas. Nobody was appalled but me. This to me, when we say, okay, well he said to be here at the dinner hour, we'll just be here at the dinner hour, it's going to be ready. They gotta figure it out. But it's culturally not that way everywhere.

So this, at the dinner hour, which is probably earlier than most people expected, at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who have invited, come on in, everything's ready now. This is the time. Now let me back away from the text for just a second. Was it the time? Messiah's here.

Messiah is here. All the stuff y'all been waiting for, Jesus is doing. If it says what he's gonna do, he's been doing it the whole time. Now he's doing it in your recognition on the Sabbath and in your house. You know, he's here.

He's doing this. At the dinner hour, he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, come on, because everything's ready now. And yet, yet, they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, I've purchased a field, and I need to go check it out. I need to go look at it.

Please consider me excused. Yeah. Another one said, well, I just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm going go try them out. Please consider me excused. They have an invitation.

They have an invitation. The time is now. And another one said, well, I just took a woman as my wife. Men been blaming women for stuff. Since the garden.

Another one said, I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason, I cannot come. Excuses, excuses, excuses. They all alike began to make excuses as to why they couldn't take part in this thing they've been invited to. And the slave came back and reported this to his master. They didn't come.

All of them had something else going on. They knew about it ahead of time, but they had something else that was more important. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, now, you go out there at once. You go out there into the streets and lanes of the city, and you bring in here those who are poor, those with the disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping. Bring them in.

Go get them all. It's an open invitation for everybody who will. And don't discriminate. Go out there and ask them, every one of them. And later, the slaves said, Master, what you commanded has been done.

I went out there and a bunch of them accepted the offer, but there's still room. Amen. There's still room. And the master said to the slave, you go out into the roads and the hedges. My old it's probably King James or New King James says, in the highways and the hedges, you all remember the song?

An Anita Carter song. The highways and the hedges and the highways and the hedges, I'll be somewhere working, somewhere working, somewhere working for my Lord. This is where we get that. The master said to the slave, go out into the highways and the hedges and press upon them to come in so that my house will be filled. I want it to be a party.

It's an open invitation to join. But I tell you what, those who have an excuse and just want to go about life their own way, I tell you what, they're not going be invited. They're not going to taste this dinner. That narrow and shutting door from thirteen will remain closed. That is incredibly exciting invitation news because it's not just to a certain few who had been forewarned.

It's for everybody. But it is also sad that those who are the most familiar with it turn away. And I think that's the last slide, isn't it? We're working towards communion. Jesus is walking towards the cross.

He's walking towards Jerusalem. And today, I'll say, it is an open invitation. If you have ever placed your faith in Christ, you had to do it humbly, recognizing that you yourself are poor, disabled, perhaps blind. Like last week, said, those of you who recognize your blindness will see, and those who insist that you know what you're doing and you know what's going on, y'all will have your vision darkened. God Almighty, we come before you humbly accepting that the perfect life that you lived out in the body and the sacrificial death that you bled out on the cross was in our stead.

For all who have ever put their faith in you, Lord, and trust in you, this is an open table. We come, you said, do it as often as we will in remembrance of you. In Jesus' name, Lord, I ask your blessing. The ushers are coming forward. I ask your blessing on the little cracker that's representative of the body of Christ, which was given for us.

As we distribute it, Lord, I pray that when it passes by, if people accept it because they believe in you, that's great. But if they recognize that they've never done that before and must let it pass, I pray, Lord, that this little representation of your body, not just the cracker, but this little representation, the people in this room, I pray that you would use those lives and the testimonies that you would draw anyone who has to let this pass into the kingdom of God. In Jesus' name, I ask your blessing on this little representation. Amen.

Speaker 2Of glory died. My richest gain, I count but loss and poor content on all my pride that I

Speaker 1On the same night that Jesus was betrayed even that says a lot. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper, and after he had given thanks, he said to his disciples that were there, this is my body which is given for you. Take this in, take it in, eat it, and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Thank you, Lord, for the perfect life that you lived out in the flesh, by the spirit, but in the flesh. Thank you that you did dine with sinners and tax collectors, but also pharisees.

Lord God almighty, I pray that we would recognize the way that you walked it out is available by the power of the resurrection. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and at work in us because of what we're doing next. The precious blood that was shed. Thank you, Jesus, that you did keep on towards Jerusalem, that you did set your face like flint and go towards this cross, this wondrous cross, sacrificial, voluntary death. Allow your perfect record to be transferred to anyone who would humbly accept it.

Thank you, Lord, for your blood. I ask you that you would bless this little plastic cup full of grape juice that represents your precious atoning blood. Amen.

Speaker 2On which the prayers of glory die. My richest gain, I

Speaker 1Now after he had distributed the bread, he also passed around the cup, probably a common cup in that day, and this is representative of that same cup. He said, This is my blood which is shed for you. Take it in. Take it in. This is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you.

Take it in. Do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. And Paul says that we proclaim his death until he comes again every time that we do this. Would you stand with me? And we're going to close with one more song.

I need thee every hour. Amen. It's a good one. We do. Amen.

May the Lord bless and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and give you peace. Amen.

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Excuses Humility Open Invitation Sabbath Healing Table Fellowship

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